Amid the endless and monotonous droning and posturing about healthcare reform throughout this election year it’s time for the nation’s politicos to take outpatient care seriously as one of the valid and reliable solutions to a problem in which they’ve only scratched the surface in understanding.

Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have long realized the full potential of some digital modalities, but have not kept pace with the growing field of radiation therapy.

Outpatient oncologists and radiation therapists may be fighting cancer in more ways and with more powerful techniques and tools, but increasingly one of their major weapons is data.
Consequently, they have to amass, analyze and then synthesize volumes of data so that the resulting information populates a plan for successful treatment.

Nowadays, these information technology tools have to be interfaced or integrated with other systems outside of oncology’s traditional domain.

A more active and athletic constituency, coupled with an aging demographic prone to bone health challenges, represents a double-edged sword for orthopedic imaging providers.

These outpatient imaging centers not only have to keep pace with increased demand but also keep abreast of the latest technological developments to improve workflow and facilitate higher throughput. From computed tomography to digital X-ray to extremity and open magnetic resonance imaging, outpatient imaging facilities face a plethora of options that will influence success.

As imaging modalities, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, gain heft and horsepower that produce more images faster and in greater detail, they are driving picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) feverishly to keep pace.


Some healthcare facilities favor a best-of-breed approach where they assemble equipment from different manufacturers to suit their clinical needs rather than going with a single vendor offering a complete package. You chose to install a new PACS that interfaces via HL7 with your existing radiology information system (RIS). What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of either strategy?

The key front-line element in going to a paperless electronic medical record system and increasing speed and accuracy in recording real-time patient information, is use of mobile computers at the patient’s bedside.

June 13, 2008 - Siemens will highlight the Symbia SPECT and SPECT/CT family of imagers, and for the first time in the U.S., the Symbia E SPECT, addressing the needs of the cost-conscious consumer by redefining the quality of cost-efficient molecular imaging.

The newest addition to the Symbia family of SPECT and SPECT-CT imaging systems, Symbia E works to provide users with a high-quality SPECT imager that can lead to improved clinical confidence, reliability and versatility.

June 13, 2008 - Siemens will feature its newest technology, HD-PET, as well as new features in SPECT imaging and imaging biomarker developments, at SNM 2008.

The HD PET, a technology that is designed to deliver superior detection of small lesions, works to provide dramatically greater staging capabilities and therapy accuracy.

June 13, 2008 - Thinking Systems Corp. will showcase Thinking PACS and ThinkingRIS and SNM 2008, looking to tackle complex challenges of cardiology informatics while catering to the imaging enterprise.

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